[ RadSafe ] Unidentified Helicopters Nearly Fired UponOverNuclear Power ...

[Jaro]

BTW it would have been nice to see what would have happened any of the the
F4s armament such as the  AIM-120 AMRAAM, AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9
Sidewinders....AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-12 Bullpup,GBU-16 Paveway
LGB, Mk 82/83/84 GP, cluster  would have been armed and detonated on
impact......

Remember any "fixed target" can be compromised..........

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Indeed -- we have even seen on this list newspaper articles reporting on
certain activists' attempts to convince the public that we ought to be
concerned about *asteroids* impacting on nuclear plants (never mind that the
impact itself could wipe out entire cities, however remote the possibility
might be....).

How far do you propose to take your argument ?

It does seem to strain credibility well beyond the "forks and knives" modus
operandi of your average terrorist, IMO.....

Tell me -- does your basic airliner flight training course include
instructions in arming, targeting and firing missiles from fighter jets ?
 .....and just what exactly is the difference between a "high-order
detonation" of an armed weapon, versus the breakup of an accidentally
dropped one ?
I'm certainly no military expert, but I recall hearing somewhere that modern
weapons use pretty insensitive explosives, which will not go off as
intended, unless initiated by the detonator, which requires proper arming
procedures.

Incidentally, below is an article of possible interest :

 Jaro
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


The following article appeared on page 641 of the 5 February 1982 issue of
SCIENCE magazine.

Super Phénix Unscathed in Rocket Attack
by Eliot Marshall
French detectives have launched a manhunt near Lyon in southeastern France
to find the person who fired five rockets at the jewel of the nuclear energy
program, the sodium-cooled plutonium breeder reactor known as Super Phénix.
The shots were fired at the reactor, still under construction at
Creys-Malville, from a point across the Rhone River at around midnight on 18
January.
According to a spokesman for the French nuclear agency in Washington,
Bertrand Barré, the police still have no suspect and few clues. One man, who
would not identify himself except to say he represented a group called the
Pacifist and Ecologist Committee, telephoned a news agency to claim
responsibility. He said the damage would "cause an enormous delay in the
construction of the plant, which was our objective. We were not trying to be
spectacular for the sake of it, but to delay the building of this monstrous
object and make people think -- so that the nuclear debate will start again
in France."
When the Mitterrand administration came into office in May 1981, the
government's nuclear construction program was put on hold for a review
lasting several months. Work has resumed now on most reactors.
Barré says the attack did little damage to the Super Phénix, which will be
the world's first large-scale plutonium breeder. There will be no delay in
the operating schedule, he says. Full power (1200 megawatts) testing is
supposed to begin late in 1983 and regular operation should start in 1984.
The rockets and launcher were of Russian design, intended for use against
armored tanks. According to French authorities, the launcher was a type made
by the Soviet Union in the early 1960's, and was in mint condition. The
shell casings bore Cyrillic characters, suggesting they were Russian-made.
The effect of this type of rocket, Barré says, is like that of a torch --
good for penetrating steel but ineffective against concrete. Two shots hit
the wall of the steam generator building; one hit the main reactor building;
one hit a metal crane outside the building; and one went through an opening
in the side of the reactor building, hitting a crane inside. Apparently all
five were aimed at this opening, through which the reactor vessel was being
installed. The reactor, already in place, was not damaged. There was no risk
of radiation escape, for the fuel had not been delivered. However, the
rockets could have touched off an intense fire had they hit the supply of
sodium stored at the site. A rocket fell near one worker, but did not injure
him.
Nothing is known about the person or group claiming responsibility. French
environmentalist organizations have denounced the attack.
The French government has not taken any measures to increase police
protection around nuclear plants. Barré speculates that a purpose of the
attack may have been to force the government to step up security at this and
other plants. "The internal logic of terrorist strategy," he says, "is to
create a situation in which more police are required -- and then to say that
nuclear power is not compatible with democracy."
<END QUOTE>


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